Make Believe
by Innocent Desires
Summary: Sick of Sakura and Ino,Sasuke got Shikamaru to act his boyfriend. What if he ends up developing feelings for his 'boyfriend? it doesn't help that Shikamaru already has feelings for him.ShikaSasu SLASH!
1. A Deal Made

-Tsukiko:Enjoy!

-Shizuka-: Well, this is gonna be our first multi-chapter story. Really hope you enjoy it. -

* * *

"Ino, what is love?" 

"Why do you wanna know, Shikamaru?"

"Well, I think I might be in love with someone. I've never felt this way, so I don't know whether it's love. I know how you feel about the Uchiha, so I thought of asking you."

"How is she like?"

"Well, very soft hair, mesmerising eyes soft skin,"Shikamaru continued, blushing,"and so pretty that no angel can compare."

"She sounds amazing!" Ino exclaims,"Do I know her?"

"Well...Yeah. Really well."_As well as one can know him anyway,_thought Shikamaru.

_He's finally fallen for me!_ Ino thought. _Now, how can i use this to my advantage?_

"Aren't you going to go for it?"

"No. I know I'll face rejection."

"You'll never know unless you try though, Shikamaru!"

"I bet any girl will be touched by your love."

"You could be right...But what if..."Shikamaru paused for a while."This person is really special to me. Besides, I don't have a chance. A lot of people have already faced rejection. I bet I'm no different."

"Shikamaru, you're not talking about Sakura are you?"

"No! No. Why would you think that?"

"She's rejected Lee and Naruto, so I thought…"

"It's not her."

'Then tell the girl you like. She'd be stupid not to accept you."

"Alright. I can try I suppose..." Shikamaru says uncertainly.

"She won't eat you up. Anyway, I bet you'd still be friends even if she rejected you."

"Well, okay." He said, giving her a strange look_. What is she talking about? Uchiha and I aren't even friends yet... Oh well, I guess it can't hurt to take her advice..._

"I'll grab something to eat so I won't have to confess on an empty stomach. thanks, Ino, I really appreciate it."

"You do that Shikamaru, i'm sure whoever she is will be thrilled!"

"I hope so." Shikamaru says. "I have a feeling he's going to be irritated, though."

Ino only stared with her mouth open wide. He? Who the hell was Shikamaru talking about? Was he gay? no, no, perhaps she had heard it wrongly.Her teammate only turned and walked away. He headed to the ramen bar to grab a quick bite.

* * *

"Ow! Stop pulling my hands!" 

"Come on Sasuke-kun!!!! You promised you'd by me some ramen today!"

"Che! If you would shut up and leave me alone yesterday! But you didn't, so forget it."

"But Sasuke-kun!" Sakura whines her voice going higher than should be humanly possible.

"Hn. If I buy you ramen, will you shut the hell up?!"

"Humph. Maybe I don't want you to by me ramen with an attitude like that."

"If you don't want me to buy you ramen, please go away.The dobe should be at the ramen bar anyway!"

"Fine, you can buy me some ramen. Come on."

"Stop dragging me!!"

"Look, Sakura, I will never fall for you."Sakura pauses for the sake of drama,"I'm going out with someone else, alright?"

"WHAT?!" she shrieks.

"Who?!"

They neared the ramen bar. Sakura's dragging seemed to have paid off. Glancing about, he spots Shikamaru."Well, we wanted to keep it a secret for a while longer, but... it's Shikamaru."

"What?! How could you choose that slob over me?! And a guy at that!"

"Sakura, we can't choose who we love."

" I don't believe you! Prove it!"

"Fine!"

Slowly, Sasuke walks over to Shikamaru. "I'm sorry,"he mutters, before pulling the startled boy upwards into a standing position. Shikamaru cheeks looked like they were on fire. It didn't help matters that Sasuke had pressed their lips together.As he opened his mouth to protest, Sasuke's tongue pushed itself into his mouth and the arm encircling his waist drew him even closer, so that their bodies were pushed together as well.

"What is going on here?!?!"

They slowly pull apart, then realising what just happened, both srambled back, for different reasons.

"Shikamaru! What are you doing?!"

"Ummm... Its not what it looks like, Ino..."

"I'm sure! Huh! Well, now i'll never date you now matter how much you beg!! You jerk!" Ino then turned and ran away crying.

"I never asked to date you in the first place!"

"Is that enough proof, Sakura? Now leave me alone!"

"Fine, whatever." she snaps, before walking away angrily.

"What the hell was that!"Shikamaru yelled.

"Well, I was sick of having Sakura hanging all over me so I told her I was in love with someone else. You happened to be here, so I said that it was you. She wanted proof so I had to kiss you. Nothing more."

"So what? You just come up and kiss me out of nowhere then just like that, we don't speak to each other anymore and Haruno is going to stay off your back? Well, I don't appreciate being used, thank you very much!"

"Hmmm. You're right. Shikamaru, I need you to act like we're dating so Sakura will stay away from me. For a while at least."

"Oh yeah? And what do I get from this deal? Being stuck with your grumpy ass?!"

"What's wrong with that? Tell me!"he said, upset.Then, changing his tone, he pleaded,"Please do me this favour." He was not used to begging, and it showed.

"Alright." Shikamaru said, moved by sympathy. _Perhaps I might get over him that way._

"Thanks. Lets meet here again tomorrow to go over stuff to do to act like 'happy couple'."

* * *

-Shizuka-: And there is the first chapter. - Hope you all enjoyed it and are looking forward to the next chapter. 


	2. Kissing Practice

A/N: We apologize for the lateness!

---

10:00 the next morning…

* * *

"Uchiha, why did I have to get up so early to meet you here again?"

"Stop whining, its not that early. And because not many people will be here."

"Fine, whatever. Lets just go over the stuff to look like a happy couple quickly so I can go back to sleep." Shikamaru said while trying not to yawn.

"I made a list, you know,"Sasuke revealed,"All that's left for you to do is to memories these five ground rules,"Sasuke continued, putting a piece of paper on the table in front of him.

"Rule number one,"Shikamaru read, "We must kiss in public, and we must pretend to like it. Rule number two. We must always smile we see each other. Rule number three, We must hold hands if headed in the same direction. Rule number four, We must date often. Rule number five, We must show them that we hug"

"What the hell?! Uchiha!"

"That is what is needed for it too seem like we are dating."

"That's ridiculous!"

"Are you going to break your promise?" Sasuke asked, eyes narrowed dangerously.

" If I was, I wouldn't be here. Don't underestimate me,"Shikamaru replied hotly.

And so the two argued. Eventually, Shikamaru agreed to accept these terms, for he prided himself in honoring his words. His heart had won as well, for he desired to kiss the Uchiha again. Nevertheless, his brain did find that thought wrong.

"May I go to sleep now?"

"Shortly. We need to make plans for a date, then I'll walk you back to your place."

"Alright, fine. How you pick me up tonight at say, 7:00, and we go for a stroll in the park?"

"Perfect."

"Good. Now can I go home?"

"Yes. Don't forget the rules." Sasuke grabbed Shikamaru's hand as they started to walk to his house.

They walked back to Shikamaru's house in relative silence.

* * *

"My house is here," Shikamaru said, suddenly grasping the other's hand tightly for a second, before letting go. Silently, he walked into his house, feeling sad. The Uchiha would never return his feelings. This… this was not helping. As long as he was with Sasuke, following those stupid rules, he would never be able to give up on the guy.

He decided to sleep on it.

* * *

6:57 at Shikamaru's house

_'Okay Shikamaru. Remember, this is all just an act. Don't do anything other than what the rules state you must do.' _

_'But what if I accidentally do something that I don't have too and he catches on...No. That won't happen. But what if...' _Someone knocking on his door broke Shikamaru's train of thought

When he opened it he saw Sasuke standing at his door, looking like he was trying to not show how uncomfortable he actually was.

"If I have to pretend I'm happy," said Shikamaru, dragging Sasuke inside, "The least you could do is to show some consideration and pretend you're happy too."

"I'm trying!"Sasuke protested.

"Sure you are. That's why you have that scowl on your face, as if I'm an enemy you have to fight with."Shikamaru retorted.

"I'm still not really comfortable with the idea. Just give me a little time,"Sasuke murmured, giving Shikamaru a quick kiss on the lips.

"What. Was. That. For?!"

Sasuke smirked. "Just to get us into the spirit of things," he replied, calmly.

"'Just to get us into the spirit of things'." Shikamaru grumbled under his breathe. _'Dang, its like he's trying to make me fall for him even more every time I see him.'_

"So, um..."

"Well, I..."

They both started talking at the same time, looked at each other, then started to chuckle.

"This really isn't working is it?" Sasuke asked.

"Your right. We both need to relax if this is going to work." Shikamaru said, smiling.

Sasuke's lips gave a small twitch that Shikamaru guessed was the beginning of a smile.

* * *

They continued on to the park.

After a while of walking Shikamaru was about ready to sit down.

"Hey, Sasuke? Could we sit down for a while?"

"Sure."

They wandered over to a bench and both sat down.

"So, um, so far the only thing we've done the parts of the rules that proclaim we have to go on dates and hold hands in public..." Shikamaru said quietly.

"Your right. Well, we'll just have to change that now won't we?" Sasuke said smirking slightly.

Then he leaned forward and gently brushed his lips against those of Shikamaru's. Shikamaru leaned forward and wraped his arms around Sasuke's neck, returning the chaste kiss. Perhaps it was instinct, for Sasuke's arms immediately wrapped themselves around Shikamaru's waist.

They quickly broke free. "Sasuke, I have to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"Well, you can't kiss well with your tongue. I noticed that when you kissed me at the ramen bar."

"What do you--- I haven't much practice, to be honest."

"What?! Well, I guess I have to teach you," Shikamaru groaned.

With infinite care, He pulled Sasuke closer before allowing their lips to meet in a chaste kiss. Then, he licked the Sasuke's lips. Flustered, Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, but Shikamaru took that as a sign of consent and slid his tongue into Sasuke's mouth, showing him just how to kiss. Sasuke found himself liking the kiss. He wondered how Shikamaru learned how to kiss that well, but was soon stripped of any form of cohesive thought.

This continued for about half an hour, with them breaking apart every few minutes for air and for Shikamaru to give a few quick instructions before they continued.

_'If this is what it's like to sin'_, Shikamaru thought,' _then I never want to enter heaven_,'

* * *

Tsukiko: Well, our next chapter!

Shizuka-: Once again, sorry for taking so long. I hope you all enjoyed it, and are looking forward to the next chapter(s).


	3. Spark Of Friendship

Tsukiko: back again.

Shizuka: Sorry it took so long, hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Shikamaru couldn't understand why his body was willing him to stop being lazy and start going to the Uchiha's house. Sure, Sasuke tasted good. In fact, he kissed really well after he was given those quick tips. Still, was that any reason to think about him this much?

Damn it, just the thought of their first kiss... no, their first kisses. Just the thought of it alone made him hard.

As they continued onto Uchiha's house Shikamaru slowly doubted that this was actually such a good idea after all. Sasuke had just suggested it because it was getting dark, it wouldn't necessarily lead to anything.

The more he though about it the more uncertain he became. Then he started to become sad as he remembered this was just suppose to be a farce to get Sakura to stop bugging Sasuke

Shikamaru's pace had slowed considerably. As he paused outside the Uchiha compounds, he wondered if he should knock the door at all. He raised his hand uncertainly.

A flash of pink whirled past. He knew now that to continue that facade was the only way. Arranging a smile on his face, he knocked onto the door.

* * *

He didn't have to wait long. A couple seconds later he could hear the pounding of feet inside the compound, then a pause before the door opened revealing Sasuke standing there looking as collected as normal, as if Shikamaru at his door was something that happened every day. "Your early." Sasuke says coolly. Shikamaru smiles geniunely and says "Yeah, well, I was actually awake this morning and since it doesn't happen very often, I wasn't sure what to do and decided to come early. It's not a problem is it?"

Che," came the only answer he would receive, before the raven-haired boy gestured for him to enter.

* * *

All of a sudden, Sakura left her hiding place and walked up to Sasuke. "This is sick, you know that?" Sasuke didn't seem to care.

"Since when did your opinions matter to me?"

"It's not just me, the whole village knows. And it'll have you know that they are all thoroughly disgusted by this!" She says angrily. "Let's see how you'll face that!"

"Is that supposed to bother me?" Sasuke sneers. Sakura just glares at him, then at Shikamaru before walking away.

"Um..." Shikamaru mutters.

"Never mind her. Come on in." Sasuke says, ushering Shikamaru into his house.

"Don't worry. If anything happens, we'll tell the truth. Now, what are you here for?" Sasuke asked, intrigued. Shikamaru just shook his head. "For this facade then?" Sasuke questioned, a tinge of disgust in his voice.

"Yeah."_Although, I did want to see you..._

"Fine. It was about time we went on another date," Sasuke remarked nonchalantly.

"If you say so."

They tossed around a few ideas about what to do. In the end, they decided to go to the ramne bar and get some ramen because Shikamaru hadn't eaten anything yet and they couldn't think of anything else to do at the moment.

As they were walking there ,Shikamaru kept shooting glances at Sasuke. After a few minutes of this Sasuke turned to him and said " Would you like something, or am I just that good looking?"

Shikamaru blushed and looked away saying "No. I mean um... That is to say... I was just thinking...If we are going to be 'on a date' shouldn't we be, I don't know, holding hands, or at least walking closer together?" _Yeah, you are good looking. Really good looking. More like hot..._ As his thoughts trailed off he blushed even more, until his face somewhat resembled a tomato.

"Che,"Sasuke replied, before sliding his hand against Shikamaru's. Shikamaru noted how it felt oddly ghost like. Perhaps it was not really there.Tightly, he grasped the hand that was offered, and was glad to find that the hand had not disappeared. Tingles shot down his hand, almost as if he had a mild electric shock. It felt really pleasant.

Shikamaru spoke about some things that had happened to him while the Uchiha added some comments to the narration at random. In this manner, they continued to the ramen bar.

Perhaps, just perhaps, Naruto wasn't his best friend after all. Shikamaru could make him feel so comfortable just by being there. He knew that with Shikamaru,there were no pretences. What he saw was all that there was. When this was over, they could continue to... meet...sometimes. He knew he would enjoy it.

* * *

Tsukiko: A spark… of friendship. Ah well. Love takes time to develop, you know. Or perhaps… he already feels something. I shall end this off by saying I hope you enjoyed it, and I'm sure Shizuka wants the same. Review! 


	4. Feelings

Tsukiko: Enjoy it!

Shizuka:Hey all, we had fun with this one. Hope you have asmuch fun reading:

* * *

They were finishing their ramen in relatively comfortable silence, each making a comment now and then. When they finished Shikamaru offered to pay.

Though surprised, Sasuke didn't want to offend him by refusing so he just let him.

They decided to just walk around and talk for a bit, and started walking in no particular direction.

"So Sasuke, I don't really know that much about you. You should tell me some things about you, seeing as the entire world views us as a couple."

"And what kind of stuff might that be?"

"Well...What is your favourite color? What is your favourite animal? When did you decide to become a ninja?"

"Are you going to answer your own questions if I do, seeing as i know just as much about you?"

"Oh, um, sure."

"Fine, I'll answer if you promise not to ask why. Midnight blue. Cat. The day Itachi became a ninja."

Trying not to laugh at how short and to the point Sasuke's answers were, Shikamaru replied, "My favourite colour is green. As for an animal, I envy the sloth since it has so much time for rest. Lastly, I'm not certain when I decided to become a ninja. It just sort of happened, you know?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Hn. Figures your favourite animal would be as lazy as you." Sasuke says, but not harshly.

"Yep. Can I ask you another question?" Shikamaru asks tentatively.

"You're going to ask it anyway."

"True. Hmmm. So what do you plan to do after you finish training?"

"Kill Itachi," Sasuke replied, a hard, determined look in his eyes. In that very second, Shikamaru understood that no one could stop Sasuke from that mission.

Shikamaru is slightly surprised at the abruptness of the answer but recovers quickly.

"I see."

They continued walking for a few minutes in an awkward silence.

* * *

They sat on the comfortable park bench quietly. To Shikamaru, it seemed like a comfortable silence.

"I loved and respected him," Sasuke suddenly told Shikamaru.

"Who?" Shikamaru asked, even though he had already guessed the answer.

"Itachi," came the reply. All of a sudden, Shikamaru understood the difference between knowing something and the confirmation that the guess is true. He winced internally and looked into the Uchiha's face for any sign of pain, finding none. He realised that the Uchiha hid everything behind the mask, an inside was an insecure teenager who desperately wanted things to stay the same forever. Hesitantly, he reached out for the Uchiha's hand.

When he met no resistance he gently took it and just held it in his for a few minutes.

* * *

After a few minutes Sasuke said "I think we should probably be heading home soon."

Shikamaru nodded and said, "Yeah, i suppose."

They got up and were heading back to the Uchiha complex when Shikamaru felt like they were getting some strange looks.

"Hey Sasuke. Does it feel like people are watching us?"

Sasuke looks around.

"Yeah, they are. What does it matter?"

"Well, its just wierd. And remember Sakura's comment."

"Just let it go. It doesn't matter."

"Yeah, but..."

"No. If it's something important they can say it to our faces." Sasuke says, abruptly.

"That's true," Shikamaru replied. He was not in the mood to entertain them.

"Let's go," Sasuke said, turning around to face another direction.

"Where to?" asked Shikamaru, surprised. "This is the way to the Uchiha complex, isn't it?" he continued, thinking that the villagers had finally gotten to the Uchiha.

"Your house. I'll escort you back first."

"If you say so," came the reply, Shikamaru being too lazy to argue with the Uchiha.

"Yes."

They hurried to Shikamaru's house.

* * *

They got to Shikamaru's house where Sasuke bid him goodnight with a gentle squeeze of their still clasped hands, and a small peck on the cheek before retreating to his own house.

Wandering back to his house Sasuke was pondering on his feelings for Shikamaru. He knew he was fond of him, but he wasn't sure just how fond.

Back at his house Sasuke decided to rest for a while and just put everything out of his mind. As he laid down he came to the conclusion that he just liked actually having another friend and that was why he felt the way he did. With that last thought to himself he drifted into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

Tsukiko: And so they are pretty close.

Shizuka:Well, let us know what you think


	5. Enter The Best Friend

-Shizuka-:Sorry it took so long...

-Tsukiko-:Sorry about not updating earlier... We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

* * *

Shikamaru woke to a loud insistent knocking. Groaning he rolled off his bed, landing in an ungraceful heap on the floor. Now more awake, he climbed up and when to answer the door before whoever was at it broke it down.

Opening the door, he was surprised to see Tenten standing there. "What are you doing here? And at this hour?" She walked in pushing Shikamaru out of the way. He followed her as she walked in and sat herself on the couch, gesturing for him to take a seat on the opposite side of it.

"Do best friends need a reason to visit each other? And it's already 10:30 in the morning." Shikamaru sat on the couch, his eyes never leaving her face.

"Normally I sleep another two hours. And with you it's never 'just a visit'. What do you want?" Tenten studied him for a moment before sighing.

"Shika... I know how you feel about Sasuke. You told me over three months ago, but that's not something a best friend ever forgets. What is this everybody is saying about you two dating? Is it true? Why didn't you tell me??"

Shikamaru sighed in frustration. She was asking too many questions. Women were so troublesome. For a while, Shikamaru contemplated telling her the truth. It was not as if he could lie- Tenten would be able to see through him immediately. She had an uncanny way of knowing it whenever Shikamaru was lying. At least she would never tell anyone about his secret. It was one of the things he'd loved about her.

Tenten waited patiently as Shikamaru shuffled his feets. Finally, he met her eyes.

"Well, it's like this..."

Shikamaru blushed and stared at his hands. Impatiently, Tenten clicked her tongue. All she wanted to do was to help her best friend in his time of need. She had known about the feelings Shikamaru had for Sasuke a long time ago.

Tenten finally got fed up with his fidgeting and said "Shikamaru, you know you can trust me with anything. Would you please tell me? Your worrying me!"

Shikamaru took a big breathe and proceeded to tell her absolutely everything. From the kiss at the ramen booth right up to the walk home last night. When he finished he just looked at his knees waiting for her to say something.

She was quiet for a while, just processing all the information. Finally she leaned forward and pulled Shikmaru into a hug.

"What am I suppose to do Ten? I really like him, but he's just doing this to get Sakura off his back!"

"It's alright Shika. It'll all work out, I promise."

"Shik- What the hell are you doing?"

Even before he turned, he could already feel a death glare on his back. Startled, both of them looked at the door to find a very angry Sasuke at the door. Surprise flitted across TenTen's face. Suddenly, she understood everything that had just happened.

"Can't you even keep up the pretense for a little while? Is that so freaking hard?!"

Shikamaru didn't understand what the Uchiha was rambling on about.

"It was just a friendly hug, Sasuke," Tenten explained. "I guess I'll leave you two to settle this yourselves, then. "

As Tenten walked out of the room, Sasuke wondered if he had to apologize. Him. Apologize. Still, he did not want to lose his friend. or did he want Shikamaru to stop posing as his boyfriend. It felt so very natural to be by Shikamaru's side, walking around town. It also felt good to be Shikamaru's friend. Most of all, he still needed kissing practice.

"I...I'm... I'm..."

"Apology accepted," Shikamaru replied softly.

Sasuke wondered when they had become so close. When had Shikamaru learnt to read him so well? When had Sasuke himself felt that Shikamaru was so important? It didn't use to be like this.

Sasuke shook himself out of his thoughts and crossed his arms, looking expectantly at Shikamaru.

"So does Tenten know what going on with us, or what?" Shikamaru nodded.

"She does. I had to tell her, she's my best friend."

Sasuke stayed quit for a minute before sighing and uncrossing his arms.

"Fine. You trust her to not tell anybody?"

"Sasuke, I would trust her with my life. I trust her to keep my… our secret."

"Fine then. She better keep it."

He looked at Shikamaru's eyes for a few moments before huffing and crossing his arms again.

"Well, I'll just go then so you and your _best friend_ can continue talking. I'll talk to you later."

He turned and started heading out the door when Shikamaru quickly stood up and walked over to grab his arm.

"Wait!"

"What?"

"Not that I'm complaining, but why did you come over anyway?"

"Well, we hadn't really talked about any plans for today so I was going to see what you wanted to do...But now that Tenten is here I figure you'll want to spend some time with her and whatever, so... I'm gonna head. I'll talk to you later."

Before he could pull his arm out of Shikamaru's grip however, Ten Ten came back into the room.

"I have an idea! How about the three of us all hang out today?" TenTen asked.

* * *

-Tsukiko-: I think our new pieces will be much faster! Please review, thank you!

-Shizuka-:Hope it was good.


End file.
